8th grade, reading class-- read The Hobbit and liked it, read The Lord of the Rings and *loved* it. I especially loved the maps, and the deep, seemingly never-ending history.

Favorite Tolkien character:

When i first read it, it was Strider, but not Aragorn-- i liked him more as a dark and mysterious Ranger of the North, and i always wished he'd stayed that way. As i grew older, it became Gandalf *the Grey*, so wise, yet down-to-earth, mischevious and funny (this was later solidified by Sir Ian McKellan). Now it's a split between Gandalf and Gollum, but that's mainly due to the films' absolutely brilliant portrayal of him, and the genius of Andy Serkis.